Ace Combat Assault Horizon: Enhanced Edition

 PC
User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 191 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 76 out of 191
  2. Mixed: 52 out of 191
  3. Negative: 63 out of 191

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  1. Stevontoast
    Apr 4, 2014
    5
    This game is a pathetic excuse for an Ace Combat game. Dog fight mode is a stupid gimmick, forcing you to use helicopters is pathetic and not true to the series.

    A real Ace Combat fan would delete this piece of **** from their hard drives and play the PS2 games over it. It's sad that a more recent, amazing looking game could have such a terrible story, terrible characters and overall    This game is a pathetic excuse for an Ace Combat game. Dog fight mode is a stupid gimmick, forcing you to use helicopters is pathetic and not true to the series.

    A real Ace Combat fan would delete this piece of **** from their hard drives and play the PS2 games over it.
    It's sad that a more recent, amazing looking game could have such a terrible story, terrible characters and overall poor quality. This game used to have a niche appeal and now they're trying to spread it out. It's not like I don't understand, I honestly do. You just did a very poor job with it.

    I wouldn't give it a 1. I wouldn't give it a 6. The graphics make up a lot for the ****ness of the story campaign but it's still pathetic, mostly because dogfight mode takes away control of your flying so you can't even look at the nice scenery! That is its biggest problem... taking control away from the player.

    Stick to the formula, guys. It's best to have a dedicated following than no following at all.    … Expand
  2. runner
    Oct 31, 2015
    6
    This is one of the sad cases where I actually enjoyed a game, quiet a lot even, but am still aware that it isn't much good and is actually not a game to recommend to anyone.
    I'll start by stating that I didn't play any other installment of Ace Combat and therefore I don't look at this game as a fan of the series, but simply gave this specific installment a try. I'm also not too    This is one of the sad cases where I actually enjoyed a game, quiet a lot even, but am still aware that it isn't much good and is actually not a game to recommend to anyone.
    I'll start by stating that I didn't play any other installment of Ace Combat and therefore I don't look at this game as a fan of the series, but simply gave this specific installment a try. I'm also not too experienced with flight games in general.
    Horizon Assault is a very arcadic game in almost every sense of the word.
    The story is, as you'd expect from this type of games, very predictable, generic, unsurprising, and not that vital for the game.

    For a moment the game may seem like a flight simulator but it's definitely not, It's good at making you feel AS IF you're flying an aircraft, AS IF you're doing big stuff with the scripted explosions everywhere.
    And that's actually one of the strong points of the game, it's very good with BOOMING stuff, with making you feel that YOU are booming stuff, and it gives you an addicting sense of action and thrill, although with completely unrealistic mechanics at times (e.g. aircraft "heals" itself automatically while flying), but who cares, it's a video game.

    The game's soundtrack also adds a LOT to the game, and as one who really cares about music in video games and is giving it a lot of attention, this game has one of the best tracks in video game soundtracks, in my opinion, with a combination of symphonic music with some electronicrock touches every once in a while. Splendid, really!

    Unfortunately there are also reasons for you to stay away from Horizon Assault. Controls aren't most comfortable ever… Binding different keys won't help much. It can get confusing at times and at the beginning of the game I felt like quitting because I simply couldn't get hold of this DAMN helicopter. As soon as I got the hang of it, it started to get fun, though, but fun it really different and is a matter of perspective. And many people won't find this game fun at all.

    The gameplay can get extremely repetitive and frustrating. The developers tried to keep it varied and in a way they succeeded in it, but it's still starting to feel generic and monotonous at times. Another thing which many people would hate is the Dog-Fight System, which is presented as an optional way to hunt your enemies but is actually your only way of getting through this game. And it can be horribly frustrating as well.

    So, are you going to enjoy this game? That's really a matter of one's taste and expectations.
    I enjoyed it, mostly, and if you can enjoy some intense action sequences with things getting blown away with dramatic music in the background and some clichéd "saving America" story, it's possible you'd enjoy this as well.

    It's possible you'd hate it, if that's not your kind …

    Another note, out of the three times I've tried playing this game in multiplayer mode, I've managed to find other players to play with only once. So, my guess is that the multiplayer scene of Horizon Assault isn't very active. There's also no way to play over LAN, so, I could be wrong but I believe Horizon Assault pretty much leaves you with solely the single player missions. You should keep that in mind.    … Expand
  3. Blazadin
    May 16, 2013
    6
    while the graphics and sound are top notch )except for the ground and buildings) the controls are hopeless. pitch and yaw should be separate control's..instead i find i am unable to do an aileron roll and the handling suffers dramatically..ive died multiple times just because the controls are not up to standard of the old ace combat or the HAWX games.
  4. Xanifur
    Apr 22, 2013
    6
    I've always loved the Ace Combat series, this game is a bit of a stray. It is more cinematic and arcade than its former glory, which isn't a bad thing, but nothing to get excited about. This game is a great time killer when you need an adrenaline rush.
  5. AnwarBlast
    Feb 2, 2013
    6
    Arcade game, very fun, repetitive stuff like dogfight flying on same zone, if youre a sim fan dont buy this game, but only for fun and win the war alone, nice try
  6. emmanuelbriceno
    Feb 5, 2013
    7
    Excelente juego, algunos movimientos de los aviones son totalmente irreales, y el control del helicóptero es horrible, pero de resto buen juego, buen rendimiento en PC
  7. Ansatsu83
    Apr 28, 2014
    5
    Combat is interesting for a while but is too repetitive and gets boring very quickly. While I appreciate the variety of game play types I find the only one entertaining enough to want to play over and over is the Apache missions. The fighter missions are the LEAST ENTERTAINING!!! I have no idea what they did wrong, perhaps its that whole chase sequence that the game requires. RegardlessCombat is interesting for a while but is too repetitive and gets boring very quickly. While I appreciate the variety of game play types I find the only one entertaining enough to want to play over and over is the Apache missions. The fighter missions are the LEAST ENTERTAINING!!! I have no idea what they did wrong, perhaps its that whole chase sequence that the game requires. Regardless way it failed to make its mark in the one aspect that SHOULD BE IMPORTANT! I recommend hawx (first one) and janes advanced strike fighters, to this. However, I really would like them to make a game that is all about gunships and have similar controls to this one...… Expand
  8. yiNXs
    Jul 25, 2014
    5
    Long time fan of the series here. When I heard about the PC port I almost pre-ordered it without checking. Glad I hesitated when I heard about the quicktime-like events. Now it's free-weekend on Steam, so I gave it a try. Sadly, it turns out to be as disappointing as everyone says. At first the assisted dog-fighting was somewhat fun, but it got boring and then annoying very fast. I triedLong time fan of the series here. When I heard about the PC port I almost pre-ordered it without checking. Glad I hesitated when I heard about the quicktime-like events. Now it's free-weekend on Steam, so I gave it a try. Sadly, it turns out to be as disappointing as everyone says. At first the assisted dog-fighting was somewhat fun, but it got boring and then annoying very fast. I tried to like it, but I just couldn't. Worst of all, it's pretty much mandatory to use, unlike the assistance-off & ERS modes in HAWX for example (which were actually fun to use). The sad thing is, the game is fine in every other way and deserves a much better grade for everything else. It's just the dogfight-assist that breaks the most important/fun part of the whole game: the one-on-one fights with skilled enemies.… Expand
  9. spacepirate369
    Dec 14, 2013
    7
    If you are willing to put aside gripes about not being set in the usual Ace Combat world and the total disregard for realism, this game can be a genuine enjoyment. My biggest gripe with the game is the fact that often, when you are chasing a high-ranking bad-guy, he will become unkillable until he leads you to a certain location, just so a cool killcam can occur. This bothered me because IIf you are willing to put aside gripes about not being set in the usual Ace Combat world and the total disregard for realism, this game can be a genuine enjoyment. My biggest gripe with the game is the fact that often, when you are chasing a high-ranking bad-guy, he will become unkillable until he leads you to a certain location, just so a cool killcam can occur. This bothered me because I feel it stifles your freedom as a pilot and negatively effects gameplay, just for the sake of showing off the visuals (which are fantastic btw). The controls take a little getting used to, especially if you've played past Ace Combat titles on the playstation, but should be no problem after a few hours of gameplay. Ace Combat Assault Horizon: Enhanced Edition: Fun, arcade mess with a disregard for realism, fan service, and gameplay.… Expand
  10. Kira-SR
    Nov 14, 2014
    7
    if you are a fan of the Ace Combat series, Assault horizon is a Different kind of beast. so,since now,i warn you. Aproach this one with caution.

    well,it feels like ace combat,plays for the most part like ace combat, but it has one mechanic that Kills it,DFM and ASM. those sections,when Scripted are Terrible,and makes the fights with aces,Especially the one with a certain shark nosed    if you are a fan of the Ace Combat series, Assault horizon is a Different kind of beast. so,since now,i warn you. Aproach this one with caution.

    well,it feels like ace combat,plays for the most part like ace combat, but it has one mechanic that Kills it,DFM and ASM. those sections,when Scripted are Terrible,and makes the fights with aces,Especially the one with a certain shark nosed Plane Pilot, Unfufilling. At First,they are cool,but repeat them,over,and over,and over again,and you'll see what i mean. and this is agravated if you played other Ace Combat games on the consoles, that really demanded skills from you.

    so,it's a Hard game?! Far from it. Easy,even on the Ace Difficulty,but it has it's B*SH*T moments.
    Is a Bad Ace combat game?! by my standards,Yes. Namco has done better with its franchises.
    But it's a Bad game?! HELL NO.

    The better pros i gotta say is: the cutscenes that are awesomely made, the Aircraft Collor editor that even to this date i revisit, and the Awesome models,beautifull with full interiors made by Project aces.

    But the Unforgivable Cons i gotta repeat: The DFM and ASM are not good systems when done Scripted like 60% of the game. some sections are not,but they fell a bit cluncky to control,and i tend to lose control quickly. another Con is that the control on this game is very sensitive,even on the most Non-Sensitive setting,so it doesn't feel like Ace 5,6,or Cross Rumble,and you get to have tighter reflexes to adapt on how the Jets fly on this game. they feel different,but horrible?! no... just,worse. and those aspects i'm glad that namcobandai got right on the next games of the franchise,that can and MUST keep going in the direction it was since Ace Combat 3 (jp)... that by the way i still wait for a remake of that game... but let's not get out of the tangent.

    My final Veredict: 7/10. Is not a Bad game, i can recomend for you who want a Different Experience all togheter.
    But if you are a Ace fan,as a said Aproach with caution or Don't go for it.(or at least,wait untill the price drop if you want to experiment with this beast).    … Expand
  11. 561cesarS
    Dec 21, 2014
    5
    dog-fight feature. does this technology exist in real lie? I don't think so. why in the H*LL!!! does it have this st^p!d feature?
    that is the only reason this game was not respected like all previous ones.
  12. dandalis
    Dec 3, 2020
    6
    With my first and only experience before with Ace Combat being AC Zero: Belkan War back on PS2, i have to say that i wasnt that impressed by Assault Horizon.

    Story was as ''generic russian bad guys'' as it comes. That said, the main cast of characters were suprisingly likeable. And even if the main villain was generic feeling, he too atleast had understandable motivations guiding him.    With my first and only experience before with Ace Combat being AC Zero: Belkan War back on PS2, i have to say that i wasnt that impressed by Assault Horizon.

    Story was as ''generic russian bad guys'' as it comes.
    That said, the main cast of characters were suprisingly likeable. And even if the main villain was generic feeling, he too atleast had understandable motivations guiding him.

    Gameplay gave me rather mixed feelings aswell, while planes control well enough, the obnoxious scripted dog fighting mode sucks so much fun out from the game. Introducing helicopter warfare was a bold step, and while it did upset many purists, i thought it was a decent addition, could've been better, but i still had fun manning an AH-64, even the Blackhawk mini-gun sections were suprisingly not that bad. The AC-130 mission was the more annoying addition, as the action gets heated, the game overwhelms you with targets and makes it difficult taking them all out, which can lead to enemies killing your allies and making you fail the mission. Still, raining down hell from the gun fortress was pretty enjoyable when it worked as intended. The bomber mission was neat aswell, well the radar evading part maybe not so much, but the carpet bombing section very much.

    Graphics wise game looks fairly good as long as you are high in the sky, with nice weather and cloud effects, once you get closer to the ground the game obviously shows it's shortcomings. Jet fighters, bombers and the helos were modeled pretty well too. I still remember being impressed by the game's visuals back in 2011 when it was revelead, so i'm glad they still mostly hold up.

    Also, if you're planning on getting this game on PC, it is best to have an Xbox controller or a joystick. However i was mad enough to play it with a mouse/keyboard, by playing like that, you'll be struggling with fine control and certain missions will become a major pain in the butt, but thats understandable because the game was designed with a controller in mind, so i cant bash it all that much. It's also clear this game is a console port, a decent one at that, but dont expect lots of graphics options, game itself runs excellent with 60 fps all the way through if your PC isnt ancient.

    My initial disappointment and criticisms aside, i'd say Assault Horizon is still an alright game all things considered, if you're a gamer fascinated by jet fighters, you should consider giving it a try regardless.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

92
#92 Best PC Game of 2013
60
#60 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Feb 21, 2013
    85
    A title you definitely didn't expect to see on PC, Ace Combat looks like a flight sim and plays like the vehicular sections of Call of Duty. It's a fun game while it lasts. The linear missions mean that the game holds no replay-value whatsoever. [Feb 2013]
  2. Everyeye.it
    Feb 20, 2013
    75
    Ace Combat Assault Horizon is one of the best air combat games on the PC platform. If you can go beyond the limits of gameplay (due to the entire genre) then consider buying.
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  3. GameStar
    Feb 15, 2013
    70
    Quotation forthcoming.
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